INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION OFFICE

UMD's office for study abroad

Incoming Exchange &
Study Abroad Students

UMD Home > IEO > Programs > Program Information > Finland > Joensuu

Exchange at University of Joensuu

PROGRAM TERMS	Fall and/or Spring
CLASS STANDING	Sophomore, Junior, Senior
DEADLINE TO APPLY	Fall 2008: Mar. 24, 2008 Spring 2009: Oct. 15, 2008
FEES	$4,400 [2008-2009]
FINANCIAL AID	Yes
GPA	2.4
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION	English

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University Information
The University of Joensuu is located in Joensuu, Finland. Founded in 1969, the university has eight faculties in:

biosciences
education
forestry
humanities
law
economics and business administration
science
social sciences and regional studies
theology

Exchange and international students are offered programs in English, particularly in the areas of Karelia, Russia and the Baltic States (including Russian Studies), environmental science and forestry, educational sciences, social sciences, and law. Students may enroll in Finnish language studies. The university also offers exchange students the ability to choose courses in Finnish and possibly arrange independent study with the teacher.

The University of Joensuu is an international university with cooperation with dozens of universities in many other countries. Over 8,500 students study at Joensuu, including over 550 international students.

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Location Information
The city of Joensuu is located in eastern Finland about 80 kilometers from the Finnish-Russian border. Established in 1848, the city lies at the mouth of River Pielisjoki on the shore of Lake Pyhäselkä. Important business areas include the plastic and metal industry, wood and forestry sector, information and communication technology, and border region and cross-border collaboration. As capital of the North Karelia region of Finland, the city is also known as the forestry capital of Europe with its stronghold in research, inclusive the European Forest Institute and Joensuu Science Park. The city itself has 58,000 inhabitants with about 115,000 total in the economic region. The university brings a young population to the city, adding to its Karelian folk culture. Nature enthusiasts will also find that Joensuu and the Karelian region has much to offer.

Finland is a nation of 5.2 million inhabitants. Helsinki, a southern coastal city of over 560,000, is the capital and largest city in Finland. As part of the Nordic countries, it shares borders with the Scandinavian peninsula and Russia. It forms the northeastern border of the European Union and is the most sparsely populated member country. Finnish culture is influenced by both Scandinavian and Russian cultures, bringing a unique blend of west and east. The country remains distinct on its own as the Finnish language shares no relation to any other major world language. The Finnish language, along with Estonian and Hungarian, belongs to the small Finno-Ugric language family. Modern Finland is a world leader in technology with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Finland also enjoys an abundance of nature with almost 200,000 lakes and about two-thirds of the country covered with forest.

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Courses Available
University of Joensuu offers a variety of courses and programs for students to take in English instruction, particularly in the areas of Karelia, Russia and the Baltic States (including Russian Studies), environmental science and forestry, educational sciences, social sciences, and law. International and exchange students have the opportunity to take courses in Finnish language while at Joensuu. If a particular course is found in the eight faculties (biosciences, education, forestry, humanities, law, economics and business administration, science, social sciences and regional studies, and theology) but is only offered in Finnish instruction, a student may possibly still enroll in the course and arrange indepedent study with the teacher to bridge the language barrier.

To view the most up-to-date course offerings in English, please view International Study Programmes at the University of Joensuu website. Also, please view current course equivalencies for University of Joensuu.

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Academic Credit
The University of Joensuu uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) as a grading system. To arrive at the UMD credit equivalent from ECTS, divide the ECTS credits by half and round up to the next whole credit. For instance, 7.5 ECTS is 4 UMD credits and 15 ECTS is 8 UMD credits. Finnish credits (opintopiste) are equivalent to those in ECTS and during an academic year, full-time Finnish students take a total of 60 credits. Grading of courses is performed using to methods: 1) pass or fail, or 2) using the numerical systems of 0-5 (maximum), which is equivalent to the ECTS letter grades A-E.

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Eligibility
Degree seeking students at any University of Minnesota campus who have completed one full year of study prior to the beginning of the exchange are eligible. For some areas of study, students should have completed substantial upper division course work. The minimum GPA is 2.4, and students need to consult with a study abroad advisor in the International Education Office (IEO) in 138 Kirby Plaza before they apply. Tentative acceptance will be done by IEO. Final acceptance is done by the foreign university.

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Costs
Our goal is to keep prices similar to those of attending UMD. The program cost per semester to attend University of Joensuu is $4,400 during the 2008-2009 academic year. The program cost includes:

the $100 application fee to the International Education Office
the $400 deposit to the International Education Office
tuition in Finland
CISI (required international health insurance) for up to 5 months

The program cost does not include room and board, textbooks, airfare and other additional costs. Room and board is estimated to be about $3,600 per semester during the 2008-2009 academic year.

Because the cost of living in the Nordic countries is somewhat higher than in the U.S., personal expenses and entertainment may be higher. Fluctuating currency exchange rates may increase or decrease the cost of your international experience. Financial aid may be applied toward the cost of exchange programs. There are several study abroad scholarships for University of Minnesota students.

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Deadlines & Dates
Deadlines to apply to a program occur during the semester previous to that which you wish to study abroad. In general, deadlines fall around March 15 to begin study in the fall semester or October 15 to begin study in the spring semester. Fall semester at University of Joensuu, including arrival and orientation, typically runs from late August until mid-December. Spring semester, including arrival and orientation, typically runs from early January until mid-May.

Study: Fall semester 2008 or full 2008-2009 academic year
UMD Deadline to apply: Monday, March 24, 2008
Fall orientation dates: week prior to the semester
Fall semester: early September - mid-December, 2008

Study: Spring semester 2009
UMD Deadline to apply: October 15, 2008
Spring orientation dates: week prior to the semester
Spring semester: mid-January - mid- May, 2009

For more information on deadlines to apply, click here.

For more information on the academic calendar at Univeristy of Joensuu, click here.

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Orientation
At least one pre-departure orientation and one on-site orientation will be held. Pre-departure orientation will include information about financial aid information, class transferring, international insurance, student residence permit, classes, travel tips and two handbooks for participants to reference: general study abroad handbook and Finnish handbook.

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Housing
Student housing consists of student dormitories at several locations around Joensuu. Most students live in shared flats with 1-2 other students. Exchange students are typically accomodated in furnished rooms that have a bed, mattress, desk, chair and wardrobe. Other items, such as dishes, cutlery, linen, rugs, curtains, et cetera may be rented as a package from the Student Union. Rent for the 2006-2007 year ranges from 150-270 euros/month. Included in the rent is electricity, heating, water, laundry and public sauna. Exchange students pay a nominal monthly fee on top of rent to receive a furnished room (17 euro/month 2006-2007), internet connection (20 euro/month 2006-2007), car parking (if applicable) and private sauna (optional).

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What's Next?
Before applying, it is a good idea to follow the steps under steps to studying abroad. The IEO website also provides information on financing, health & safety and other important information to consider when choosing to study abroad. When ready to apply, the UMD study abroad application may be downloaded from the IEO website. Please complete the application with required accompanying materials and return it to IEO.

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Photos
[IN DEVELOPMENT]

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Helpful Links for Finland and Joensuu